Tezuka In English Discussion Forums

i JUST ordered BARBARA on Amazon, & learned of a HC release of ADOLF. I assume it will have the proper orientation, as it was weird seeing mirror images in the old SC release, with the apparent left-handed salutes, & backward swastikas.

Yeah, Vertical is releasing Message to Adolf in two volumes. I'm also assuming it will be unflipped, but I'd have to check to be sure. They're doing a brand new translation of it as well and not just reusing the old Viz version.

Thanks, Strobe.

So it looks like Message to Adolf is still flipped, at least by this picture here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3081942146731

You can even see the left-handed salute on the back cover. It's a bit of a pity to see, but I'm still really excited about the release. I've got both volumes pre-ordered at B&N. Wasn't there something a few years back they said about how the flipping is mandated by Tezuka Productions? That just seems weird to me since DMP's Barbara had the choice to publish it one way or the other.

No, there's no mandate by Tezuka Productions to flip or not to flip. I'm also a little disappointed to see that it is indeed flipped, but it doesn't surprise me. Vertical has gone on record several times saying that flipped manga sells (at least for them) better than unflipped. I think this has a lot to do with Vertical's market placement outside the traditional manga community. They try (and often succeed) to attract an audience that is geared towards a more literary segment of the population, which for some strange reason, prefers their books be printed "the right way".

Oh, well... personally I rarely notice anything different when I read flipped or unflipped manga. Perhaps I'm just not that observant, but it never bothers me when right-handed characters are left-handed, etc. I only notice that they have two hands.

Yeah, I'm sure I'll get used to it. I don't really notice when I'm reading right-to-left, so I guess reading the western way won't really distract much, either. It's just easy to get caught up in the age old "purity" issues.

I've got both volumes pre-ordered at B&N. Wasn't there something a few years back they said about how the flipping is mandated by Tezuka Productions?

No. The flipping was definitely Vertical's choice. Now, at one point that might have been true for the original Viz/Cadence editions, but it certainly isn't the case anymore. Vertical just thinks they sell better flipped.

Is there any reason why I should buy this, seeing that I already have the other ADOLF set?

I think besides some nicer, whiter and heavier paper, and, arguably, a truer translation script, you wouldn't be getting much else. It's a nice HC set, but there's no extra content.

How much better is the trans? Does it make that much difference?

I am asking that same question on "is Adolf good or bad?" post

It is nothing like MIGHTY ATOM, it is very intense, with Lamp at his most evil! I would not recommend it for young readers.

The story is 'good', though 'bad' at the same time; in other words, written well, but full of violence, meanness, & diminishing people's self-esteem. While it is fiction, it is set during world war Two, and does give an idea of just how vile the Nazis, especially Gestapo agents really were.